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“I just love having you here,” she said with a giggle and a genuine smile that reached to her eyes. “You’re the best roommate I’ve ever had.”
My chest swelled, and I took a deep breath to stop myself from mirroring her tears. If I did she would know she could convince me to stay, and I needed to make the decision on my own.
I took a quick shower, and when I climbed out, I tugged on my favorite pair of worn, faded jeans and my Michigan State sweatshirt. My hair would be fine with messy curls, and I threw them back in a ponytail before I grabbed my bag.
I considered calling in, but we were counting inventory. It would be obvious if I called in that I was just avoiding Logan, just like it was obvious when I left work the other day with my imaginary cold. The pain that pulled at my heartstrings made my throat sting, and I took a deep breath. “You don’t care about him, Simone,” I told myself. The tears slipped from my eyes anyway, warming my cheeks.
No strings attached, my ass.
Chapter 29
Logan
She walked in wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, and my stomach plummeted. It was the sweatshirt—the one she’d left behind when she snuck out of the house and the one I had to explain to Auston when he’d called me out on it the next morning. I told him I didn’t remember the woman’s name, earning me the temporary title of “manwhore” for the night once again. It had been better than admitting who the sweatshirt belonged to.
“Hey,” I said to her when she got close enough to hear me.
She nodded, thinking for a second, before letting out a short breath. “Hi.” At least she wasn’t ignoring me.
“Thanks for coming.” When I said it, she looked at me like I had two heads. For a month, we had been telling everyone that inventory was mandatory and if you couldn’t make it, it needed to be approved in advance. All hands in would mean we could be done quicker. It was why we were all here on a Sunday afternoon counting instead of grilling and drinking too much beer.
Simone looked tired, but her eyes still sparkled. Did they always do that? “I didn’t think we were given a choice.” Her hands were on her hips, but she didn’t hurry to walk away. The hesitation in her step gave me a moment to look at her outfit. It wasn’t just the same sweatshirt. It was the same jeans I’d peeled from her body and watched her jump to pull back on.
I looked around for Auston, hopeful he wouldn’t recognize the design on the sweatshirt. Had he looked at it closely enough to remember the details? I doubted it, and when he didn’t look twice at her shirt, I assumed it didn’t ring a bell for him.
“Pick a spot and start counting,” he said. Simone looked around the room, making a mental note of where everyone was, and when she saw me, she immediately moved to station herself on the opposite side of the bar with Sky.
She settled in next to her, counting the packs of small napkins and coasters that seemed to have an endless supply. I wasn’t sure I had ever seen them get reordered, but they never ran out either. Her face was serious, and when Sky leaned in to hug her, I wanted to know what they had talked about.
As time went by, the others filtered out. It would be just Simone and me once Sky left. The bar was quiet enough to hear Simone sniff. “I just think it’s the best option for me right now. Detroit is home, you know?”
“I think you’re running because you’re scared,” Sky said, and I couldn’t miss the side glance she threw in my direction. Simone followed it, looking at me briefly before turning her gaze downward.
“I’m not scared. I’m unhappy.” Her eyes swelled with her tears, and she closed them.
Sky sighed. “I get it, I do. I’ve thought about running from this damn place so many times, but”—she paused to grab Simone’s shoulder—“I would miss you if you went.”
Sky hugged her, whispering something in her ear, and Simone unfolded her legs from under her and stood up from the ground. She sniffled again, wiping her hands under her eyes and shaking her arms for a second before she started to pace. Her hands rested on the top of her head, baring her sides, as if it’d help her to regain her composure.
When Sky stood up, tugging a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, Simone nodded. Sky walked out of the closet, making sure to send an unmistakable glare in my direction. “I’m out of here,” she said, loud enough for both of us to hear. Then she turned back to Simone. “If you need me, call me.”
I waited for a second, watching through the cracked doorway as Simone dropped her forehead against the metal rack. She started shaking, and without a second thought, I was moving in her direction.
Simone jumped when I slammed the closet door behind me, a shriek leaving her lips. I locked the door behind me in case Sky came back. “You can’t go.”
“What?” Simone’s face lacked the fight that had been so prominent since she’d walked in the door for the first time.
I took a step towards her, and she turned around to face me, realizing there wasn’t anywhere for her to slip away. “I said you can’t go.”
“I’m not leaving.” She rolled her eyes defensively, but she picked at the skin next to her nails.
“You know what I mean.” Another step towards her. “You can’t move back.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper, and she tried to back up farther, pressing her body closer to the shelves. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
“I’m telling you right now, Simone. I don’t want you to leave.”
The surprise in her eyes matched the surprise I felt admitting it. I didn’t want her to leave Grand Rapids and move back to Detroit. I would rather she be mad at me and never talk to me again than never see her smile light up a room.
